6 of 6Next Gallery: No one knows what is going on at Ferrari because it is Ferrari

&nbsp

Ariel is making a crazy, 1,180-hp jet hybrid called the HIPERCAR

A gas turbine engine acts as a range extender once the batteries have been depleted

August 23, 2017

Share

Facebook

Tweet

Pinterest

Email

It’s not often that Ariel releases something new, but today we get to introduce to you the Ariel HIPERCAR. No, it’s not technically a hypercar, but the acceleration and technology it contains might make you think it’s one.

Instead of a traditional V8 or four-cylinder engine like the Ariel Atom currently employs, this new car will be powered by electric motors putting down a silly 1,180 hp and 1,327 lb-ft of torque. To quell range anxiety, Ariel combines these electric motors with a 35-kW micro-turbine gas range extender. Think of it as an insane Chevy Volt powertrain but with a jet engine instead of a gasoline setup -- see, hybrid technology can be cool, too.

Ariel's minimalism will be combined with a high tech powertrain for its new car.

This EV sports (super?) car gets to 60 mph in a scant 2.4 seconds and all the way to 100 mph in just 3.8 seconds. The 160-mph top speed might upset some Autobahn folks, but a crazy supercar top end just isn’t a reality for the one-speed step-down gearbox in the Ariel. Expect both four-wheel- and rear-wheel-drive variants of the HIPERCAR. You’ll be stuck with a meager 590 hp if you opt for rear-wheel drive, and keep in mind those acceleration figures are only for the four-wheel-drive models. The electric motors get power from a heated and cooled 750-volt, 56-kWh or 42-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, depending on configuration.

One might expect this Ariel to be wildly heavy because of the batteries, but the entire body will be built out of aluminum, including the suspension -- a curb weight hasn't been shared. Bilstein dampers should keep things stiff and under control, while the car rides on either forged or carbon composite 20-inch front and 21-inch rear wheels. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires provide the grip with 265 in front and 325 out back.

The Aston Martin Valkyrie already looks insane enough on paper, using a mid-mounted 6.5-liter V12 paired with a KERS-style hybrid powertrain, but the Aston Martin hypercar is not running out of crazy ...

Regenerative braking gets trashed in favor of “feel and consistency” of the brake pedal at all states of battery charge. Six-piston AP Racing calipers clamp down on the front rotors, and four-piston units do the work in the rear. We won’t see a full-bodied version of the car yet, but Ariel says the sports car will have more enclosed surfaces than the Atom and the Nomad. Ariel claims “this is the first true electric supercar that will cross continents, drive to town and lap a racetrack.”

The car’s full release is in 2019, with production beginning shortly thereafter in 2020, so we’ll just have to wait and see what the British sports car company can pull off with its first crack at an electric.

Zac Palmer
- Editorial Intern Zac Palmer has probably spent more time in a car than any other 21-year old in the country. He likes anything that can go around a corner, and is surely talking about a car wherever he might be.
See more by this author»